Archive for April, 2009
Putting the “Social” Back in Social Media
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009We all spend a lot of time on our favorite social media channels. But it’s always nice when we get to hang out with our friends from these companies in person.
Spring Creek Group Founder Clay McDaniel was able to spend some quality “panel-time” today with folks from Facebook, YouTube, Radian 6 and Tribal DDB at an event organized by DDB. Thanks to everyone who attended.
That's Clay on the Left
After the Panel
We Are Not Saying We Told You So
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
We here at Spring Creek Group may have occasionally mentioned that enlisting the assistance of an experienced team of social media experts prior to jumping into a social media marketing campaign is unquestionably a good idea. However, at the risk of seeming redundant, this latest article from Marketing Sherpa is certainly a must-read for those companies thinking of taking the social media plunge without proper experience in the space.
In the Marketing Sherpa piece, they discuss their recent survey findings which show that two-thirds of marketers who have not used any form of social media marketing consider themselves to be “very knowledgeable” or “somewhat knowledgeable” about social media.
A blind assumption like this is most certainly not a recipe for success in social media. This line of thinking is analogous to thinking that having watched several football games means that you are now a Pro Bowl quarterback. Simply being aware of the space and having the skills and experience to successfully navigate the space are two different things. (more…)
Spring Creek Group and Meteor Solutions Team Up
Monday, April 27th, 2009
You may have read the news already, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the fact that Spring Creek Group recently announced an official partnership with our old friends and former neighbors over at Meteor Solutions.
The unique and useful social media analytics tools that Meteor provides gives us several more means of successfully and thoroughly tracking conversations and discussions online, allowing Spring Creek Group to get an even better grasp of when, where, and how the social media buzz begins to surround a specific brand.
We’ve known about Meteor Solutions’ powerful word-of-mouth optimization tools for quite some time, and getting the opportunity to work even closer with them in the future is something we’re tremendously excited about. Check out the official press release here.
Career Opportunity: Analytics and Measurement Lead
Friday, April 24th, 2009Spring Creek Group is a leading Northwest boutique marketing agency focused on the growing field of Social Media. We are currently trying to add an Analytics and Measurement Lead to our team.
We are looking for someone with a solid understanding of online/offline media, web analytics, who can analyze and report on campaign performance and ROI across a number of channels—including many without industry-standard metrics. Qualified candidates will be able to make data dance in Excel and interpret it, but will also be able to communicate information obtained from data analysis to a broad audience.
Key responsibilities will include analysis, interpretation, and communication of key performance indicators, campaign activity and strategic insights to clients.
If you think you’re up to the challenge, please send your resume and a cover letter to jobs@springcreekgroup.com. No phone calls please.
What’s In a Name?
Friday, April 24th, 2009Establishing your brand or your client’s brand online is one thing. Protecting that brand and extending it throughout multiple channels is something completely different. With that in mind, here are five tips to creating a username that gets results and goes to bat for your clients’ brands.
Travel with the Brand
The magical “brand” is usually in the hands of the PR/Comms team and you won’t be changing that (and you shouldn’t really be trying). However, you can earn a seat at the table by acknowledging your respect for the brand and working to further, rather than recreate.
Be Yourself
Whether you’re setting up your own Twitter account or creating a video channel for a client, recognize the importance of name recognition. First/Last works well and you should be using the recognizable client name or a combo of product and client in other cases.
K.I.S.S.
Does this need to be explained?
Sign up. Confirm. Repeat.
Once you’ve decided on a naming scheme, lock down the channels where you or your client will be active. Forward thinking is key here; just because you may not be active in a space now doesn’t mean you won’t be in the future.
Don’t Be Afraid to Go to the Mattresses
Username squatting is the new cyber-squatting. The personal front is a bit harder to tackle, but if your client has a username out there that isn’t owned by them, you need to be willing to stress the importance of recovering their good name.
Conclusion: Social Media Works
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009As marketers continue to use social media more and more in their marketing efforts, a recent study reveals that such efforts are not in vain and new media strategies are in fact working to increase awareness, traffic, leads and even sales.
According to the study, 88 percent of marketers surveyed use social media anywhere between 5 and 20 hours a week. Of that, 80 percent say social media has generated exposure; 61 percent say it has increased traffic, subscribers, list; 48 percent say it has generated leads; and 35 percent say it has helped close sales.
Twitter was most utilized social media channel with 86 percent saying they use it in their marketing strategy, followed by Blogs, Linkedin, Facebook and a variety of other social media tools.
You can read more about this study and its findings at MediaPost.
Six Ways to Make (and Keep) Facebook Fans
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Almost every business out there seems to have a Facebook page these days. While some really understand how to maximize their presence using this social networking site (Whole Foods, Starbucks etc.), others seem to be struggling a bit (we won’t point fingers).
One of the many important components of a business page is its fans. Here are 6 tips to help you get and keep Facebook fans:
- Promote your Facebook page on other channels and platforms. Be sure to provide a link on your website, make an announcement in your newsletters or e-mails and mention it on your company blog.
- Keep consistent and relevant activity on your Facebook page. Be sure to post to the wall often, add videos frequently, and always try to encourage discussions. Try and post content that will create conversation and get fans commenting. After all, people love to share their opinion and provide feedback. This kind of activity will make your page more interesting and appealing to potential fans.
- Send the most newsworthy and important information as an ‘update’ to fans so that they receive the messages directly and don’t miss it in their feed. However, be selective and don’t go overkill on your fans with updates.
- Create a favorites page by fanning other Facebook business pages that are related to your company’s industry.
- Depending on the services your business provides, offer some kind of incentive for fans to join or participate. For instance, maybe every 100th fan could get a $25 gift card, or offer a 20% discount for joining through Facebook.
- Use the ‘suggest to friend’ link – even though your Facebook friends may not necessarily be your target - the benefit is that it will display in their newsfeed, and in turn their friends will see it and may join because they are genuinely interested in your company and its services.
Like any well-thought out project, building a successful Facebook page takes time and effort. Hopefully following some of the above tips will get you started in the right direction. And remember it’s important to always keep in mind your potential fans as well as current ones.
#WeHaveNoIdeaHowThisWorks
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
For those of you who still think Twitter is single-handedly responsible for the destruction of the English language, is ruining our children’s ability to communicate with the outside world properly, and think that absolutely no good can come of it, I would like to point out to you that some scientists have developed technology that will allow you to tweet USING ONLY YOUR MIND.
Social Media for Start-Ups (and Marketers) at SVC May 7
Monday, April 20th, 2009Spring Creek Group is excited that we’ve been asked back to Seattle’s School of Visual Concepts to provide a full day consulting session on Social Media on Thursday, May 7. This will be the 4th time we’ve hosted. In previous sessions, we’ve run through everything a start-up needs to get the ball rolling. This time we’ll also run through some tips for the Executive or Corporate Marketer, and then spend the afternoon with some advanced hands-on workshops from our Engagement team, so bring your laptops.
So whether you are trying to figure out how to launch a successful Social Media strategy, or need some advanced tips for specific channels, come join us for the day. Registration info can be found at the SVC Web site.
Mention that you saw the event here, and we’ll make sure the blog team gets a raise. Well, maybe not a raise, but a treat nonetheless. Or if not a treat, at least an “attaboy.”
Jeeves Pulls a Jordan
Monday, April 20th, 2009
When Michael Jordan came back wearing the 45 on his back, everyone knew that it just wouldn’t be the same. So, when UK Ask.com users (how many, we’re not sure) surfed over to their beloved search portal recently, they were likely surprised to be greeted by a familiar face (although he looks like he visited Dr. 90210, or Pixar at the very least) – Jeeves.
The digital butler for all your search queries is back and hipper than ever with a Twitter account and Facebook page.
So far, nothing is known about a possible brand re-launch anywhere outside the UK, but this is most certainly a sign that butlers everywhere are now being treated with a bit more respect.
